


Just You and Me

by OzQueen



Category: The Little Mermaid (1989)
Genre: F/M, Post-Canon, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-17 08:49:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11848128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OzQueen/pseuds/OzQueen
Summary: When Eric and Ariel travel to Glowerhaven, Eric finds himself fielding questions about Ariel he's not sure he has the answers to.





	Just You and Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fragilespark](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fragilespark/gifts).



* * *

The torches in the stable square at the rear of the castle were lit, for the sun was not yet up. Stars still twinkled in the sky, though light was starting to show at the eastern edge of the horizon. Eric rubbed his hands together and blew a warm breath into his cupped palms. Winter was nipping at the air.

"We should be there by sundown, as planned," Grimsby said, stepping into place beside Eric, squinting down at his pocket watch in the dim blue light. "That is, if we adhere to the schedule."

Eric glanced across the square towards the castle doors which lead through into the kitchens. "She'll be here any minute, Grim."

"Hm," Grimsby said. "Punctuality does not appear to be one of her strengths."

"Her father says it never was." Eric clapped Grimsby's shoulder and turned to the carriage. Two horses stood between the shafts, looking almost as impatient as Grimsby.

"I wonder," Grimsby said delicately, "if we could at least try to keep our stops to a minimum today? I understand, of course, the desire to stretch one's legs, particularly if legs are still somewhat a novelty, however —"

"Stop worrying," Eric laughed. "We'll get there."

"Yes," Grimsby agreed with a slight cough. "Of course. You do remember, however, that our relationship with Glowerhaven is a little delicate after your refusal —"

"Eric!" Ariel's voice sang out clearly across the square, providing a welcome interruption. "Max is sulking in the kitchens — won't you call him out to say goodbye?" She walked towards him with a smile, her dark blue skirts already showing all the evidence of an early-morning tussle with a certain shaggy sheepdog.

"He'll come out when he's ready," Eric said, smiling back at her.

"Good morning, Grimsby," Ariel said, beaming at him.

"Good morning, my dear." Grimsby bowed his head in greeting, and then stepped around her and gestured at their carriage footman — a signal Eric recognized as _make haste_.

Ariel tugged on Eric's arm so he'd lean down, and she kissed his cheek rather breathlessly. Her excitement shone in her eyes. This was her first time leaving the kingdom's borders, and the journey was all she'd been able to talk about since finding out about it.

"I was beginning to think we'd have to leave you behind," he teased.

Ariel put her hands on her hips. "You said sunrise," she said. She pointed to the east. "The sun is not…" She blinked at him. "I'm right on time. And anyway, you were supposed to wake me when you got up."

"You looked too peaceful to wake," he said, somewhat apologetically.

"I should have overslept to spite you."

He laughed and kissed the top of her head. "Sometimes I think you enjoy torturing Grimsby even more than I do."

"Oh, I don't," Ariel said in dismay. She glanced at the sky again. "I was only saying goodbye to everybody."

"We'll be back in a few days." He took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly, but was forced to let go when Max galloped out of the castle and across the cobblestones, barking and scattering the chickens which were scratching around in the hay scattered from the stables.

He jumped at Eric, and he staggered back two steps with a laugh, rubbing his fingers against Max's ears. "Stopped sulking, then?" he asked. "I'll miss you, too."

"Eric," Grimsby said, gesturing towards the carriage. "We must be on our way if we are to dine with the king and queen tonight."

"I hear you loud and clear, Grim," Eric assured him. He ruffled Max's fur and pointed him away again with some regret. Max flopped into a clean pile of straw by the stable doors and rested his head on his paws mournfully.

Eric took Ariel's hand and smiled at her. "Ready?"

She gave a little skip towards the carriage. "I can't wait to get there," she said. "Is it going to be much colder than it is here? Fenna packed two cloaks into my luggage."

"Probably all we'll see is a lot of rain," Eric said, helping her up into the carriage. "It's too early in the year for snow."

Grimsby muttered something under his breath.

"Of course," Eric said in a low voice to Ariel, "now that I've said it's too early, Grim's convinced I've just doomed us to get stuck in a blizzard."

"Ooh." Her eyes lit up. "That sounds like fun."

* * *

Their exit out of the kingdom was understated. It was early, and they would only been gone four days at most — hardly an event for any fanfare. Still, a few people had gathered by the city gates to wave at them, flags hanging in the still air, posies of flowers tossed at the carriage as it passed by. Ariel waved back with a wide smile, and looked a little disheartened when the crowd had been left behind them, and the only sound was the steady clopping of hooves and the rattle and creak of the carriage as it ran along the road towards the mountains.

Grimsby had relaxed significantly now that they were in motion. His watch was back in his pocket, and he had lit his pipe and was leaning back in his seat with satisfaction.

"Is it really going to take _all day_ to get to Glowerhaven?" Ariel asked.

"Yes, my dear," Grimsby said, drawing gently on his pipe. "We're on a tight schedule."

"And they're our nearest kingdom?"

"Second-nearest, if you count Atlantica," Eric said lightly.

Grimsby wheezed a cloud of blue smoke from his pipe. "Yes, quite," he coughed, glancing at Ariel.

"And you were supposed to marry Princess Rose?" Ariel asked.

Eric glanced at her. His face suddenly felt very hot. "Well," he said, "not exactly. We weren't engaged or anything."

The smell of tobacco grew stronger as Grimsby smoked his pipe.

"I mean," Eric said, "everybody would have _liked_ it if I'd married Princess Rose, and I think the King and Queen of Glowerhaven were expecting me to ask to marry her, but…"

"But you don't love her," Ariel said.

"No, I don't."

"Won't she be glad you didn't marry her then? If you don't love her?"

Eric watched his wife for a moment before answering, noting the open curiosity on her face. "I hope so," he said eventually. "Don't princes and princesses marry for convenience in Atlantica?"

"No," Ariel said, folding her hands in her lap and turning towards the window. "Daddy won't necessarily approve of our choices — at first." She gave him a cheeky grin. "But he married for love, and I don't think he'd want any of us to marry for any other reason. I don't see how marriage without love is convenient for anyone."

Eric glanced at Grimsby, who was chewing on his pipe thoughtfully.

"I'm looking forward to meeting her," Ariel added, and she wriggled around in her seat impatiently. "Can't we go any faster?"

"My dear girl," Grimsby said kindly, "one day's journey is nothing to fret over. We shall be there by sundown." He gave Eric a meaningful glance. "All going well."

* * *

"Oh _look_!" Ariel tugged at Eric's hand as she kicked her way through the yellow leaves lining the edge of the road. "There are red ones too!"

The sun was well into its journey upwards by the time Grimsby allowed them their first stop. He'd stated it was to rest and water the horses, but Ariel had been fidgeting restlessly since the view had closed in. The road had been embraced by a canopy of trees still dressed in red and gold, and dew was still heavy on the ground.

Ariel had swung herself out of the carriage as soon as it had come to a stop, singing a cheerful greeting to the guards following on horseback behind them.

"Eric!" she called. "Come and see!"

He followed her, taking her hand to walk with her into the trees at the edge of the road. The air was still crisp, but the sun had welcome warmth in it. Ariel bent to inspect the fallen leaves, carefully selecting two different colors and holding them up to the light. Her long red hair caught the sun. Even against the riot of the autumn leaves, her hair seemed to flag itself as something magical — it looked brighter, more unnatural and beautiful than ever, like no other color on the Earth's surface could try to match it.

Eric suddenly longed to tangle his fingers in it and kiss her.

"Do we _have_ to ride in the carriage?" she asked, twirling the leaves between her fingers and thumbs. "It's so much nicer out here."

"Grimsby might actually drop dead if I suggest going any slower than we already are," Eric said.

"Why don't our trees do this?" she asked, blowing one leaf out of her fingers gently. It spun back to the forest floor and was lost amongst the others.

"Some of them do. We just don't have as many, and the season always arrives a little later in the south. These trees don't seem to like growing by the sea very much."

"Oh," she said thoughtfully. She blew against the other leaf in her fingers, watching it bend against her breath. "There are so many things I never thought about before," she said. "I don't know why I never thought about trees changing color." She touched the damp leaf against her nose. "I thought it might smell like flowers," she said, seeming a little disappointed. "It doesn't really smell like anything."

"We'll find some pine trees further north," Eric said, glancing around to see if there were any nearby. "They smell nice."

Ariel beamed at him. "Will Grimsby let us stop?"

Eric glanced back to where Grimsby stood, his unlit pipe clenched between his teeth, his watch back in his hand. "I'll ask him very nicely," he said, and Ariel laughed.

* * *

The road was quiet — only a few times had they been forced to negotiate a pass as another carriage approached from the opposite direction. Ariel always waved and called out cheerfully, her smile lighting her face like a ray of sunshine.

Eric found his own manners and reactions dropping somewhat, so distracted was he by Ariel, and more than once he caught Grimsby watching him curiously.

By noon, they had made it well into the mountains, and the blue sky had been curtained by a dull blanket of gray cloud and mist. Water beaded on the carriage windows, and the breath of the horses could be seen as they huffed and stamped their feet.

Ariel and Eric had both donned their cloaks and were walking a little way into the forest, followed leisurely by two of their palace guards.

The terrain had changed — there were fewer rolling fields and open pastures. Instead, the road twisted itself through rocky peaks and valleys, the bright autumn foliage eventually giving way to the darker permanence of conifers and lichen. Beneath their feet was a carpet of brown needles.

Ariel twisted them in her fingers curiously, and tilted her head at the sound of the wind hushing through the branches above her. "It feels different here," she said. "It reminds me of the grotto."

"How so?" Eric asked, reaching up to pinch a small sample of green pine needles from the branches of a towering Scots Pine.

"It feels secret," Ariel said, staring off between the trees.

Eric felt a whisper of something pass over his skin and race down his spine, like magic. Sometimes, when Ariel spoke certain words, he had memories of Vanessa murmuring in his ear.

He changed the subject. "Here," he said, twisting the green needles between his fingers to break them. "Remember I said pine trees have a nice smell?"

She leaned over to breathe in the scent, but reeled away almost at once, spluttering and laughing. "That's not fair!" she said. "I believed you!"

"What?" he asked. He lifted the needles to his own nose and inhaled the fresh scent of crushed pine. "You don't like it?"

Ariel rubbed her nose, watching him suspiciously. "It's awful."

"It's not!" he argued, but he laughed at the wounded expression on her face, like she was accusing him of playing a prank on her.

Eric tossed the needles aside. "Why don't you like it?"

She wrinkled her nose. "It smells wrong," she said. "Like the opposite of the sea. Just wrong."

He fell into step beside her again, taking her hand. "Hardly anything smells like the sea," he said. "In fact, nothing does. Except your hair." He glanced wistfully at the dark hood of her cloak, drawn over her fiery locks.

"Eric!" Grimsby called, his voice echoing through the trees. "We must press on."

"Oh," Ariel said, disappointed.

He squeezed her hand and they turned back to the carriage together. He felt slightly unsettled, like the break had left him less rested than before. He listened to the wind hushing through the trees again, and remembered Ariel's voice murmuring the word _secret_ , and he thought for sure he felt magic crawling on his skin.

 _The opposite of the sea_ , Ariel had said. He settled into his seat beside her and took her hand again, holding it tightly, as though she might suddenly slip away.

* * *

Eric woke with a start as Ariel elbowed him gently in the ribs.

Grimsby hadn't noticed, and was still reading in a monotone from the heavy tome open across his lap. Eric rubbed his face and slumped back in his seat. Rain was streaming across the carriage windows, and the view had changed to show only dark slabs of rock either side of them.

"Of course," Grimsby said thoughtfully, leaning back in his seat and adjusting his eyeglasses, "one does wonder at the wisdom of such kings. These days, such a thing would be seen as quite barbaric."

Ariel shifted uncomfortably, and glanced at Eric, but he wasn't sure Grimsby was expecting a response. He just shook his head slightly, and Ariel smiled at him.

"Grim," Eric yawned, "have we got another stop scheduled any time soon? I need to stretch my legs."

"Mm," Grimsby answered distractedly, leaning over his book again. "Of course, Eric, of course."

Ariel's next expression directed at Eric was one of exasperation.

Eric peered through the window, but it was impossible to tell where they were. "I really don't travel to Glowerhaven often enough," he muttered, cursing his inability to recognize the landscape.

"I've only been telling you that for ten years," Grimsby answered. "They're our closest neighbor, Eric, and yet complete strangers."

"Were the king and queen at our wedding?" Ariel asked curiously. "I don't remember."

"No," Grimsby said, clearing his throat delicately. "There weren't many foreign dignitaries at all. One king, and a grand duke, both from a kingdom a week's travel by sea." He drew at his pipe, though it had gone out. "Quite there by chance, actually."

Ariel's hands fidgeted nervously. "Perhaps we should have invited more people," she said. "It all happened very fast."

"Quite," Grimsby agreed. "Exceptionally fast."

"Is that why people still don't understand?" Ariel asked in a small voice.

Grimsby looked at her carefully for a moment. His voice was kind when he spoke. "My dear," he said, "if there is one thing you must learn about human beings, it is our inability to believe the truth of some things, even when the evidence is presented right before our very eyes. I beg you not to take it personally."

Ariel leaned her head against Eric's shoulder quietly. She must have looked upset, for Grimsby closed his book instead of subjecting her to any additional history lessons.

"The King and Queen of Glowerhaven are kind rulers," he said after a moment. "And their daughter is good-hearted, and very gracious. There is no need to expect anything other than the warmest of welcomes and salutations. I wager there will be a little curiosity, but it will be good-natured, and this evening will be very cheery indeed." He smiled at her, and Eric could tell from the expression in Grimsby's eyes that Ariel had smiled back at him.

"I hope you'll tell the story," she said to him. "You're good at telling stories."

"Oh, thank you," Grimsby said, spluttering a little. "Yes, what a kind thing to say. Of course I'd be more than pleased to explain the course of events…"

Ariel tilted her head against Eric's shoulder just enough he could catch the amused sparkle in her eyes.

"You'll pay for that," he whispered, and she smiled serenely at him.

* * *

The town of Glowerhaven was shrouded in rain and mist, and yet the streets were lined with people, umbrellas and newspapers held up as protection against the weather.

Eric's royal guard flanked the carriage closely, swords drawn and pointed skyward, as the people in the streets swayed and stretched to catch a glimpse. A murmur rose through the rain and made Eric's skin prickle.

_The mermaid…_

"What are the big black hats?" Ariel asked, peering through the window. Her breath fogged the glass, and she smiled at waved at the crowd, though nobody smiled back.

"Umbrellas," Grimsby said.

"Oh." Ariel blinked at them, and Eric wondered which name she had secretly assigned them instead.

The castle loomed ahead, countless towers and spirals layered upon one another like upended icicles. The stone walls shone with rain, and only the lower floors were lit with firelight.

"Has it always been this ominous?" Eric asked, trying to make a play at humor.

"Do you mean there might be sharks inside?" Ariel asked, not sounding at all put out by the possibility.

"Enough," Grimsby spluttered. "Best behavior from both of you, please. If you will remember, Glowerhaven is our closest kingdom, and this is your first visit as a married couple." His eyes narrowed at Eric.

"Best behavior," Eric promised.

The castle gates rattled open, and the carriage passed through.

* * *

Ariel's hand was cold as she slipped her fingers into Eric's palm, shivering and looking around the castle's entrance hall with wide eyes.

"It's like a cave," she whispered, a smile tugging at her mouth as she craned her head back to try and find the ceiling above. Candles fluttered and smoked, making their shadows dance and leap.

"You like it?" Eric asked curiously.

"It's wonderful," Ariel said, though Eric couldn't bring himself to agree.

Glowerhaven felt gloomy and intimidating, and he found himself growing more and more nervous about facing the king, queen, and princess he had rejected just a few weeks before.

Eric's own kingdom, though accepting of Ariel's origins (for who could argue them, having watched the sea roil with tentacles and mermaid fins), still treated the new princess as a curious oddity.

_A pretty thing, but keep her at arm's length, for who knows what such a creature may be capable of._

He suddenly felt very far from home — and worse, far from the sea, which had always offered comfort and freedom. He thought longingly of the waves beneath the deck of a ship, and the kiss of sea spray on his face.

"Prince Eric…" A warm voice greeted him, and hard-soled shoes tapped over a stone floor. Princess Rose approached from a nearby corridor, her golden hair shining in the gloomy light. "I am so sorry to have kept you waiting."

He bowed his head to her. She was more beautiful than he remembered, though he had never been looking for such things before. Now, he found himself obsessing a little over what exactly he had rejected, and how it might change the relationship with his own kingdom — and their impression of Ariel.

Princess Rose smiled at her, though her expression was more one of curiosity than warmth. "And you must be Princess Ariel," she said.

Ariel curtsied gracefully. "It is lovely to meet you, your highness," she said. Her voice sounded clear as a bell in the echoing chamber.

"My mother and father will meet us for supper. I'm afraid a trade meeting has kept father detained, and my mother is not yet ready to accept visitors." Princess Rose smiled again. "You must be exhausted after your journey." She gestured to a handmaid. "Elizabeth will show you to your chambers."

* * *

Eric breathed a relieved sigh, and sank onto the edge of the wide bed.

"She's very nice," Ariel said, looking at him rather anxiously. "Why are you so afraid of her?"

"I'm not afraid of her." He smiled at her. "Do you know it's only since I met you that I've really cared about my relationship with other kingdoms? It's a wonder Grim never threw me into the sea." He ran a hand through his hair, feeling tense. "It must have been humiliating for Rose, having me reject her like that."

"Or a relief," Ariel suggested. "Does she love you?"

"I don't think so," Eric said, feeling certain Princess Rose did not love him at all.

Ariel was inspecting the trinkets on the mantelpiece. "What is it about me that changed your mind?" she asked. "Why do you care more about the other kingdoms now?"

Eric watched her turn the key on a music box, a delighted smile appearing on her face as the figurine turned. "I guess your father influenced me," he said, though he didn't really want to explain further.

King Triton's misconceptions about humans had rattled Eric more than he liked to admit. To resist communication so strongly; to reject growth and relationships — it had led to so much damage…

Ariel only smiled at him. "Daddy would be pleased to hear that," she said. "I hope I can let him know somehow."

Eric watched her run a finger down the outside curve of a vase, and thought again about all she had given up to be here with him. He thought he should thank her — that he should always thank her; that she should never think for a moment that he hadn't any gratitude for what she'd sacrificed.

"Ariel," he said softly.

She looked over her shoulder at him.

"Will you ever want to go back to the sea?" he asked. Sweat prickled on his fingertips.

"No," she said honestly. "The ocean was too small for me, Eric. I never felt at home there." She walked to him, and reached for his hand, sandwiching it between her own. "Why do you worry so much? Why do you think I'd want to leave this wonderful place? Leave you?"

"Because I love the sea," he admitted, looking up at her. "Because the voices here have already changed, and there are people less trusting of you. Because it's going to be difficult, Ariel. Acceptance isn't everlasting."

"Do you love the sea more than you love me?" she asked.

"Of course not."

She smiled and leaned down to kiss him. "I love you more than anything else I have ever been granted," she said. "I always will." She stood, and her hair spilled over her shoulders like fire. "And," she said, "nobody under the sea liked me much anyway, except for Flounder." Her shoulders sagged a little. "I wish I could have him with me."

He stood, and kissed her gently, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "If I could bring him to you I would."

"I know." Her voice sounded dangerously close to tears. "But," she said, clearing her throat, "the point is — I really don't care what people think, Eric. I only care what you think. And acceptance may not be everlasting, but love is different."

He kissed her forehead. "I love you," he said. "I don't know what questions people might have. I don't know how distrustful they may be. But just know that I love you."

"I love you too." She kissed him. "My father was distrustful of humans at first," she reminded him. "He changed."

"He did." Eric kissed her again. "You're very good at reminding me of things I should already know."

"I am?" she asked, looking delighted.

"I married a very wise woman."

She laughed, and her cheeks flushed pink. "Not as wise as you. Or Grimsby — Grimsby is very wise."

"Oh no," Eric groaned. "He's got you fooled."

She laughed, and laced her fingers through his, squeezing his hands. "I wish you'd stop worrying," she said. "This is just a new adventure. Adventures are always exciting."

"Are they?" Eric laughed, raising his eyebrows.

"Always," she confirmed. "And if it _does_ go wrong… If I have to…" She sighed, and closed her eyes briefly. "We can get back into the carriage and leave."

He wrapped a lock of her red hair around his finger and tugged affectionately. "Now that's love," he teased. "If I asked you to get back into the carriage right now…?"

"I would," she said. "But please don't ask."

"We'll walk back," he laughed.

Her eyes lit up. "Ooh!"

"No," he clarified. "We can't. Grimsby would drop dead."

"Oh," she said. "Well, I don't want that. Let's just behave ourselves at dinner, so we can stay out of the carriage as long as possible."

He laughed and kissed the end of her nose. "Deal."

* * *

The dining hall was long and narrow, with dozens of windows displaying a magnificent view of the lake, which was dark beneath the gloomy sky. A balcony skirted the western wall, the doors open to the sunset.

The king and queen were standing at the end of the room, talking amiably with Grimsby, who looked remarkably relaxed about the whole affair.

Princess Rose was on the balcony. Eric squeezed Ariel's hand, and she nodded at him.

He slipped away to the balcony. "Good evening, princess."

Rose smiled at him warmly. "Good evening, Eric. You sound nervous."

"You sound like you enjoy it a little," he said.

She laughed, and walked a couple of steps to rest her arms against the balcony wall. "I hope you haven't been too worried. I know it must seem a blow to your ego, sir, but I have not been pining for you."

"I'm relieved to hear it."

She smiled at him, and nodded towards the light-filled room behind him. "Mother and Father have been looking forward to your visit very much," she said. "There is a lot of curiosity around Princess Ariel."

Eric glanced through the open doors and watched Grimsby introducing Ariel to Rose's parents.

"Is it true?" Rose asked curiously, glancing sideways at Eric. "They say you found her at sea. A mermaid…"

"Well, she found me, actually," Eric clarified. He tugged uncomfortably at the fingers of his glove. "But yes, it's true. I know it sounds unbelievable."

"No, I believe you," she said. She looked out across the lake. "There is something about her."

"What is it about her?" Eric asked curiously, though he was certain she'd be unable to define it.

"I'm not sure," Rose answered. "It is just something I can see in her."

He could see it too — something magical and indefinable, and it wasn't just his love for her which made it so. Ariel was different.

"She is quite bewitching," Rose said thoughtfully. "Do mermaids have magic in them?"

"I suppose so," Eric said. "They are capable of controlling it, at any rate." For a moment, the golden arc of King Triton's trident flashed before his eyes.

"And you are not afraid of being beneath her spell?" Rose asked.

Eric looked at her, though she didn't appear to be asking the question out of malice. "No," he said eventually. "It is not that kind of spell. Ariel came from the sea, and there is magic in her, but she wants me to love her without influence. Ariel is very truthful — honest to a fault, Grimsby says. And she is very impulsive..." He smiled at the princess beside him. "Far too impulsive to maintain any cruel spell binding me to her."

Princess Rose reached for his arm, and linked her own through his. "Introduce me," she requested softly. "I would like to see what kind of woman it takes for Prince Eric to finally marry."

* * *

The king and queen appeared to be too polite to ask outright if the stories were true, but Eric could see they wanted to. The queen in particular watched Ariel like a hawk, her eyes darting down to Ariel's slippered feet with careful consideration, and Eric knew she had heard the truth and dismissed it as a fable… and now she was not so sure…

He also knew that the queen was less forgiving than Rose was of the failed engagement. She responded to him coolly, though there was no real malice. Still, Eric was uncomfortable, and he found himself waiting for something the queen could use against them to her own advantage.

Ariel's behavior could not be faulted, however — she laughed musically at the king's predictable jokes, and praised the kingdom, the food, the wine, the music. The king's smile grew wider and wider, and Eric was relieved to see that, in his eyes, the rejected engagement truly seemed to be a thing of the past, and entirely forgiven.

But he watched the queen watching his wife, and he knew she could see the same things in Ariel that he could see. That as beautiful as she was, and as eager as she was to do the right thing, there was something unsettling; something within her that was inherently out of place.

Her eyes were what gave it away. For all of her questions and naiveté, there was a depth and an unnerving sense of time and age in her eyes. Sometimes Eric wondered exactly how old she was — sixteen seemed right in some ways, and entirely wrong in others. He wondered if time passed in the same way at the bottom of the sea.

He wondered about Rose's suggestion that Ariel could wind some sort of spell around him, just as the Sea Witch had, but his heart dismissed it almost immediately. Ariel's belief in love was too strong for her to try and manipulate it — and there was nothing controlled about this at all.

It felt instead like riding the sea in a storm: turbulent and exciting and a little dangerous, perhaps, like there might still be a certain glint in her eyes — the ancient promise of her kind to wrap her arms around him and draw him down to the depths, like she could have done when they'd first met.

He shivered, and the queen watched him thoughtfully over her glass of wine.

* * *

The evening drew to a close, with promises of joining one another again for breakfast early the next morning, before Eric was to be caught in meetings with the king about trade and economy. Rose had promised Ariel a tour, and Ariel's eyes had glittered with excitement. She held Eric's hand on the way back to their bedchamber, and wondered in a sleepy voice if there were caverns or tunnels in the lake which led out to the sea, so that merpeople could trade with Glowerhaven as well.

The wooden shutters in their chambers had been drawn tightly against the evening chill, and a cheerful fire had been lit in the grate. Ariel went to it at once, stretching out her fingers to test the heat of the flames. Eric closed the door neatly behind them.

"Mind your dress," he reminded her quietly, and she swept her skirts out of the way with one hand, leaning into the fire with her other hand braced against the mantel.

"I can see blue and green," she told him, peering at the flames. "When I look closely, I mean. There are so many colors in fire. It's beautiful."

When she came back to him, her face was pink and warm. He touched his palm to her cheek with a smile. "We have fire at home, you know."

She smiled shyly. "I know." She leaned her cheek into his hand. "Did I embarrass you?" she asked suddenly.

"No, of course not." He traced his thumb gently over her dark lashes. "You were perfect."

He knew what she was afraid of. She still slipped up sometimes — mistaking the use of an object Eric didn't give a second thought to, or stumbling in her conversation and coming to a flustered halt.

 _Scuttle-words_ , she called it. Eric had always found it endearing.

"I've never liked royal duties," she said suddenly, glancing up at him. "I mean, I never really had to do much. Aquata was always the one by Daddy's side at those sorts of things…" She trailed off. "Of course," she said, and there was a slight tremor in her voice, "even when I was supposed to carry out royal duties, I was usually off doing something else…"

"Causing trouble?" Eric asked lightly, tucking a stray wisp of bright red hair behind her ear.

"I guess so."

"Rescuing men at sea."

"I only did that once," she whispered, but she smiled.

He smiled back at her. "Princess Rose likes you," he said.

"I like her too. I hope she can come and visit us sometimes."

"I'm sure she will." He carefully drew one of the pins out of her hair and spun it in his fingers. "What did you think of the king and queen?"

"The king reminded me a little of Daddy," she said. "He looks stern, but once he realizes you're not a fool, he's very easy to talk to."

Eric laughed. "Yes, he doesn't tolerate fools well."

She looked rather proud of herself. "I look less foolish all the time now."

"You've never looked foolish," he reassured her gently. 

"That isn't true." She raised her eyebrows at him. "But it's nice of you to say." 

He grinned back at her. "You know," he said, "I've been worrying a little about all of our differences. That there is so much strangeness surrounding us, it will… that it might come between us."

Ariel looked worried. "Do you think so?"

"Not anymore," he said. "Our differences are fewer than our sames."

She beamed at him. "I think so too."

He kissed the top of her head and set her hairpin aside. "I've never been in love before," he said. "For all I know, this is how it feels for everyone, and nobody can really explain it at all."

"I don't think it's fair that we should be asked to explain why we love one another," Ariel said. "Does everybody have to do that?"

"No," Eric said. "But our story hasn't exactly been conventional, sweetheart. I don't think we can really blame anyone for being curious. But I'm not sure we can be blamed for not having the answers, either."

She squeezed him tightly. "Tell me more about our sames," she said, looking up at him with open hope.

"Well…" He thought for a moment. "I've never liked royal duties either. I used to hide on the ships until they were far enough out at sea it was too much trouble to bring me back in again… I'd be gone for days, sometimes."

Ariel leaned in against his chest. "You sound like more trouble than I was."

"That can't possibly be true," Eric said.

She laughed, and her breath was hot through his shirt. "Poor Grimsby, now having to manage both of us."

He laughed too, and wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her against his body, feeling her whole and warm and close. "Will you stay and cause trouble with me forever?" he asked. "I couldn't stand it if you decided not to." 

She smiled, and stretched up to kiss him. "Of course I will. We'll be in trouble together forever and ever and ever."

* * *

  


End file.
